Learn about Lethbridge’s urban beavers and its recently developed adaptive beaver management strategy.

Join Kirby England (P.Biol.) the lead author of the recently published City of Lethbridge Beaver Management strategy to learn about beavers and their role as the best dam wetland managers on the landscape.

From a brief background on beaver ecology, we will discuss beaver management science and practices as well as an introduction to groups, such as the Beaver Institute, working to better live alongside North America’s original ecosystem engineer. Then we will hit closer to home by sharing findings from the fieldwork in Lethbridge associated with the development of the beaver management strategy. Finally, we will discuss current and planned applied research ongoing at Lethbridge College related to beavers, fish, and southern Alberta streams.  

The presentation will be held at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre community room, located in the Lethbridge river valley at the north end of Indian Battle Road South.

Furthermore, Nature Lethbridge is offering to join this event via zoom.

Please use the following link to access the presentation: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81279959242?pwd=FgbT6EgROJGMCiupyaNZ8DxaXYygFA.1

• Meet in northwest corner of south side Fairway Plaza Safeway parking lot 9 am.

• Leaders: David Scott (ds1908@live.ca), and Ken Orich (korich@telusplanet.net).

The Board of Directors of Nature Lethbridge invite you to join us for our Annual General Meeting of Members to be held on Wednesday October 11, 2023 starting at 8:00 PM, after the guest speaker presentation.

The meeting will be held at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre community room, located in the Lethbridge river valley at the north end of Indian Battle Road South.

NATURE LETHBRIDGE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AGENDA

8:00 PM Wednesday, October 11, 2023

1. Call to Order

2. Approval of the Agenda

3. Approval of the Minutes of the 2022 Annual General Meeting

4. Reports of Officers:
a. President’s Report
b. Treasurer’s Report

5. New Business
a. Discussion of Nature Lethbridge’s direction/activities for 2023/24
a. Programming (field trips and presentations)
b. Membership
b. Appointment of Auditors 2023/2024
c. Election of Officers 2023/2024
i. President (2-year term)
ii. Treasurer (2-year term)
iii. Secretary (2-year term)

6. Adjournment

When we drive by natural areas or visit parks we often think of the vegetation as an unchanging backdrop to the activities of animals. In fact, communities of plants are dynamic, shifting in response to changes on the landscape.

In this talk, Jenny McCune will use Waterton Lakes National Park as an example to show how the effects of fire suppression, increased recreation, climate change, and the 2017 Kenow wildfire are written in the changing composition of the Park's plant communities over decades and centuries.

As this presentation will be offered in a hybrid form, you can attend in person or use the following zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89697342523?pwd=TzQ0Y2RBa3NvdHJPWmtiR3VXeUw5dz09

• Meet in southeast corner of west side Safeway parking lot 7:30 am.

• Leaders:
  Graeme Greenlee (pgreenlee@telus.net), ph 403-328-8977,
  Ted Nanninga (ted.nanninga@gmail.com).

Nature Lethbridge is inviting you to the annual Fall Picnic on September 11th, 2023, 5:00 - 7:00pm at the Baroness Picnic Shelter in Indian Battle Park. Please bring your picnic and join other Nature Lethbridge members for the evening get together. RSVP and the number of people accompanying you (if applicable) by email to cburstlein@gmail.com.
Hope to see you there!

• Meet in northwest corner of south side Fairway Plaza Safeway parking lot 9 am, or at MD of Taber Park 9:45 am.

• Leaders: Lloyd Bennett (loydyoli@gmail.com), ph 403-223-0456, and David Scott (ds1908@live.ca).

The presentation will take place at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre

Join local nature enthusiast Lloyd Bennett for an introduction to butterflies of the Lethbridge area.

This presentation is FREE to attend!

• Meet in Botterill Bottom Park parking lot 7 pm.

• Leaders: Claudia Buerstlein (claudia.buerstlein@gmail.com) and Graeme Greenlee (pgreenlee@telus.net), ph 403-328-8977

• Meet in Botterill Bottom Park parking lot 7 pm.

• Leaders: Claudia Buerstlein (claudia.buerstlein@gmail.com) and Graeme Greenlee (pgreenlee@telus.net), ph 403-328-8977

• Meet in parking lot at 10 am.

• Leaders: Claudia Burstlein (cburstlein@gmail.com) and David Scott (ds1908@live.ca).

• Meet in Botterill Bottom Park parking lot 6 pm.

• Leaders: Claudia Burstlein (cburstlein@gmail.com)

• Meet in northwest corner of south side Fairway Plaza Safeway parking lot 8 am.

• Leaders: Graeme Greenlee (pgreenlee@telus.net), ph 403-328-8977 and Penny Hopkins (phopkins@live.ca)

• Meet in parking lot 7 pm.

• Leaders: David Scott (ds1908@live.ca), Graeme Greenlee (pgreenlee@telus.net), ph 403-328-8977

• Leaders: Graeme & Pat Greenlee (pgreenlee@telus.net), ph 403-328-8977.

• Directions to meeting place – turn south at traffic light on corner of Scenic Drive & 20th Street South, proceed south on Tudor Crescent 2 blocks to Tudor Blvd, turn right (west). This angles back north and dead ends at a turn-around parking area.
  Meet here 7pm.

• Leaders: Lloyd Bennett (loydyoli@gmail.com), ph 403-223-0456,
  and Graeme Greenlee (pgreenlee@telus.net), ph 403-328-8977.

• Meet in northwest corner of south side Fairway Plaza Safeway parking lot 9 am, or at Bennett farm 10 am.
  Directions: 4 miles east of Taber on Hwy 3 to range road 16-0 (just east of the large green Viterra building), go north 3.5 miles to Lloyd’s farm, address #104043 RR160.

• Meet in parking lot, 7 pm.

• Leaders: David Scott (ds1908@live.ca) and Sam Krause (sam.w.krause@gmail.com).

• Meet in the northwest corner parking lot by the pool, 7 pm.

• Leaders: Penny Hopkins (phopkins@live.com) and Claudia Burstlein (cburstlein@gmail.com).

• Meet in northwest corner of south side Fairway Plaza Safeway parking lot 8:00 am.

• Leaders: Gavin McKinnon (gmckinnonbird@gmail.com) and Graeme Greenlee (pgreenlee@telus.net), ph 403-328-8977.

Caribou are iconic animals both in Canada and globally across the northern hemisphere. They are also very sensitive to habitat disturbance. In Canada, boreal caribou usually live where most other animals do not - in sparse and low productivity forests. In those habitats, caribou can isolate themselves from other ungulates like moose, and from predators like wolves.

However, industrial land uses, like oil and gas, forestry, and mining often fragment caribou habitat, with many linear features like roads, pipelines, and seismic lines. Those features make it easier for wolves to travel within caribou habitat, and for wolves to hunt and kill caribou. Those features often remain on landscapes for many decades beyond their intended use, thereby reducing caribou security and populations over the long term.

Habitat restoration, or active intervention to close open features, is now being used to restore security back into otherwise impacted caribou habitat. While still a new conservation method, early restoration outcomes are very promising. In this talk I will discuss different restoration methods and outcomes in both Alberta and British Columbia, what works and what needs improvement, the scope of the conservation challenge, and promising new approaches upcoming on the horizon.

The presentation will be held at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre community room, located in the Lethbridge river valley at the north end of Indian Battle Road South.

Furthermore, Nature Lethbridge is offering to join this event via zoom.
Please use the following link to access the presentation: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88432677990?pwd=THJGdGFLMmJwVE1tVmZDTlhoUG41dz09

This presentation will give the audience new ways to read the landscape, including a better understanding of how riparian areas function, how we measure their health, and what a health rating means. The ability to better "read" the riparian landscape will leave the audience with a changed perspective of riparian areas and the role they can play in keeping these areas healthy.

The presentation will be held at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre community room, located in the Lethbridge river valley at the north end of Indian Battle Road South.